


Resilience

by rainonmywindowpane



Series: Rocky Road//A:TLA [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Found Family, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Katara (Avatar) is A Good Sibling, Katara is a good friend, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, haru is a good friend, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:07:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29942856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainonmywindowpane/pseuds/rainonmywindowpane
Summary: Aang Chetri, new in town and ecstatic for his Freshman year, gains the interest of a set of twins: Katara and Sokka Atka. Unbeknownst to the twins, their new friend has a dark past that he isn't too keen on letting out of the bag. Meanwhile, Zuko Jin struggles to keep up with his father's high expectations, competition raging between him and his twin sister Azula. Zuko finds himself more alone than ever, missing his mother, and pushing away his Uncle. However, will Zuko find an unlikely ally amongst his hellish Freshman year?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula/Mai/Ty Lee, Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Suki
Series: Rocky Road//A:TLA [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202123
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue

Zuko examined his scar in the mirror. It had been 2 years since that hospital visit, and yet Zuko still shuddered every time he saw it. Quickly brushing his hair to partially hide the ugly flesh, Zuko let out a brief sigh, falling backwards onto his bed.

Highschool started tomorrow. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal; it wasn't like it was going to be any different than Jr. High. Jr. High was hell, and highschool was sure enough to prove to be as well. However, Zuko made a vow that he wouldn't tag alongside his younger (although only by a few minutes) sister and her friends.

Would he try to make any friends of his own? No. Being alone was ok as long as he could stop being regarded as the twin that shivers in his sister's shadow.

Zuko blew a tuft of hair away from his face that had blown nearer to his eye by the breeze of the fan. Who was he kidding? He'd always be in Azula's shadow. She was the prodigy child after all; Daddy's little girl. No matter what he'd do, how hard he'd try to gain his dad's praise, it all amounted to nothing.

Zuko got a 96% on his Honor's Algebra test?

Azula got a 105% on it.

Zuko was the best player on his varsity basketball team but still couldn't make it to the championships?

Azula had gone to championships and carried her team to victory despite being the youngest on varsity tennis.

Zuko joined the theater club?

Azula became president of student council.

Zuko came out as gay?

Azula was perfectly straight (yeah, right).

Even when Azula wasn't trying, she was just always better. So why would highschool be any different if he spent it alone? Simple answer, it wouldn't. But at least Zuko wouldn't have to constantly be called "the other twin" when he was hanging around with Azula. Maybe now he could just be... Zuko. Maybe that was all he needed this year.

And yeah, that thought shouldn't have been such a big deal, but it was. Because the prospect of just existing without his sister constantly outshining him was something that Zuko hadn't thought about until this year, and dammit was these four years of highschool going to be awful if Zuko kept hanging around his sister like a lost puppy. So, even if Zuko didn't have high hopes for highschool. Well... Well at least he was going to make it about himself for once.

As much about himself as he could, at least. Zuko still had a narcissistic father to please despite the advice Uncle had given him to follow his own path. Zuko knew when to stop day dreaming, though, and that line was drawn at picking a future that he wanted.

Whatever. It didn't matter.

Zuko needed to get out of his own head before he drove himself crazy.


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Atka twins make a new friend and Sokka loses horribly at Basketball. More than once. Zuko finds a calm at Iroh's tea shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, basically, this is a highschool au for the A:TLA gang. Everyone will be the same age because:
> 
> 1) It's easier
> 
> 2) Plot convenience
> 
> 3) I felt like it
> 
> and they'll also be going to the same highschool even though it doesn't make a whole lot of since considering Zuko and Toph's family are considerably more wealthy than everyone else... Shhhhhh, just go with it...
> 
> Anyway. Yue will not be in this book... sorry any Yue stans. It's mostly just the main gang, but I might throw in other side characters like Jet. The reason I don't want Yue in this book is because I would want to fledge out a modern day backstory for her and what i have planned for this story is loaded as is. 
> 
> A little background info about if any of the characters know each other from Jr. High or Middle School or Elementary School:
> 
> • Katara and Sokka have been going to the same school district since Kindergarten
> 
> • Sokka has been best friends with Suki since Middle School- where she put his misogynistic ass into place, don't worry :)
> 
> • Mai had been going to the same school district since Kindergarten as well, and quickly became friends with Ty Lee once she moved during the beginning of Middle School with her aunt.
> 
> • Azula and Zuko moved into the school district shortly after Zuko obtained his scar at the beginning of Jr. High
> 
> • Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula became inseparable friends in Jr. High, Zuko tagging along with his twin sister and her friends as he had no other friends
> 
> • Aang is a new student at the start of Freshman Year, and Toph joins at the start of Sophomore Year
> 
> Now that we have that laid out, I hope you enjoy this :)

Aang couldn't help himself; practically bouncing off the walls with exhilaration, Aang thanked all the gods that existed that the first day of Freshman year was finally there. 

_ Aang's new start after what happened back home had at last arrived. _

Light on his feet, Aang raced down the stairs. Chastised by one of the Monks he lived with, but ultimately given a soft smile from Monk Gyatso (who discreetly high-fived him for his quick speed), Aang happily accepted the breakfast tart Monk Yangchen offered him. 

Momo dashed through his legs, almost causing Aang to trip on the small cat as he stood from bowing in thanks. Aang and Yangchen shared a quick laugh.

With a light feeling swelling within his chest, Aang took a few moments to reflect. Living with the Monks was fun; Yangchen offered the best advice and Gyatso didn't mind pulling pranks with him. But Aang was excited to finally see kids his age again. Yes, the Monks had pulled Aang out from the darkest spot he'd ever been in, but he was feeling better and was beyond ecstatic to go back to school. Being homeschooled for a year wasn't all he thought it would crack up to be (especially with the grueling curriculum and work ethic the Monks had cooked up for him).

Aang was quickly rushed out of the house soon enough, his backpack thrown to him as if it was an afterthought. Aang groaned half-heartedly as Yangchen stopped him just outside the door, adjusting his blue, sleeveless jacket and trying to smooth out any wrinkles on his orange tee-shirt. 

At last, the door was closed behind him. The walk to Republic Highschool wasn't far, and Aang was about to get to walking when a large and furry dog tackled him to the ground. It seemed as if everyone wanted to keep Aang from finally returning to school as long as possible.

"Appa!" Aang shouted at the Saint Bernard, though not with any trace of malice. 

Appa showered the young boy with kisses until Aang reluctantly pushed him off. With a couple scratches behind Appa's ears, Aang broke the bad news. 

"Sorry, boy, but I need to get to school." Appa pouted, providing the most adorable puppy eyes Aang had seen the dog muster up. It was almost hard to say no. However, with a stern finger wag and a couple checks to make sure that the dog wasn't following him, Aang was officially on his way to high school.

\---

Sokka was currently sitting in the library, scrolling through his phone when a granola bar wrapper pelted him in the face. Furrowing his eyebrows, Sokka looked up to glare at his sister and  _ maybe  _ tell her off just a bit. However, as soon as he opened his mouth, Katara held a finger up to her lips, smirking. Her intention was obvious.

_ 'You can't yell at me in the library,' _ he could practically hear her gloat through the devilish smile she gave.

Attempting to ignore his sister, Sokka returned to scrolling through Instagram. When he felt another piece of granola wrapper bounce off his forehead and land in his lap, Sokka was ready to start an all out war, library rules be damned.

Before Sokka could seal his death warrant with the librarians, however, Katara held up a hand in truce, gaze fixed on the library entrance. Sokka huffed, but ultimately turned to see what had caught her eye. Within the doorway of the library stood a small boy, most likely a Freshman like Sokka and Katara. He had average looks, save the large ears that fanned out comically from his head like that of a monkey.

The boy honestly wasn’t anything too special. Or, he wouldn’t have been anything special if it weren’t for the bright blue arrow tattoos that ran across his arms and forehead.

The boy stood awkwardly at the library door, bouncing on the heels of his feet while an anxious smile played at his lips. Much like he had with Katara, the kid had managed to attract almost every eye within the library as they surveyed his tattoos.

With a look back to his sister, Sokka could tell that Katara wanted to introduce herself. With a sigh, Sokka stood from his spot on one of the only few soft armchairs in the library (that would surely be stolen as soon as he walked away) so he could join his sister in meeting the new kid.

The twins walked to the entrance of the library. Upon spotting the two of them approaching, the boy’s eyes lit up. A smile, much more genuine than the anxious one he previously held, split across his face.

The corner of Sokka’s lip twitched up in a half smile, half smirk at the boy’s excitable nature.

"Hi," Katara greeted. Her lips tugged into a grin, dimples rested in her cheeks, Katara reached out a hand.

The kid met her eyes, cheeks pinking slightly. He was silent for a few moments, remaining perfectly still. Finally, he seemed to pull himself together, shaking Katara’s hand enthusiastically. "Hi," he offered back, rubbing the back of his neck while his face continued to flush.

"I'm Katara, and this is my brother, Sokka," Katara continued on, completely oblivious of Aang’s flusteredness as she gestured a hand towards Sokka. Sokka offered a toothy grin, hoping to ease the boy's nerves, if not come across slightly teasing as well.

Shaking Sokka’s hand next, he replied, "My name's Aang."

Sokka nodded his head. "So," he drawled, "what's with the tattoos?" As soon as the statement rolled off his lips, Katara jabbed her elbow into his side. 

Muttering an "ouch, Katara" under his breath and glaring at his sister, Sokka realized that, yeah, ok. It might not have been the best opener. However, Aang only seemed to laugh good naturedly, any and all previous nerves rolling off of his body like ocean waves.

Sokka shot Katara a look as if to say, _ ‘Ha! He laughed, so I win!’  _ Katara merely rolled her eyes.

"I've lived with some monks in a monastery for the past year and a half. The blue arrow tattoos are kind of like a right of passage and stuff. I just got mine recently," Aang said, a fond, intimate smile resting easily on his lips. He appeared proud of the tattoos that inked his body.

Katara beamed. "That's so cool, Aang. Are you going to join the monastery after highschool?" Sokka had been wondering the same thing as well, but decided to let Katara lead the conversation. She was better at first impressions than Sokka. Not to say that he couldn't make friends, but his first sentence to Aang proved that he didn't have the best filter. And, well, his friendship with Suki is a miracle considering the first thing he’d ever said to  _ her _ .

"I've never really thought about it," Aang answered, his smile slipping ever so slightly. "I used to visit the monastery back home with my parents a lot. I'd consider myself pretty spiritual, but I'm not sure if I'd want to pursue it, really. Not when there's so many possibilities past highschool."

Sokka mulled over Aang's words. He  _ used  _ to visit the monastery back home with his parents? Didn't he say he lived with monks? Sokka decided not to mention it, keeping his filter in check, though filing away that information in case it was important at a later date.

Sokka was about to suggest that they take a seat, as he was getting tired of standing (and he missed the unbelievably comfy armchair), when the first bell of the day rang.

"Well, I'll see you guys around, I guess," Aang stated, lacking some enthusiasm.

Katara must have noticed this, as she asked, "What lunch period do you have, Aang? Sokka and I both have A lunch with our friends Suki and Haru." Aang stated that he had A lunch as well and Katara smiled brightly which in turn seemed to cause Aang to regain his smile as well. "Well it's settled then," Katara said matter-of-factly, "You'll be sitting with us at lunch!"

The small group parted, Sokka grabbing his backpack before rushing off to first hour; English. Sokka absolutely hated ELA. Math, geography, history; those classes were Sokka's jam. The only good thing about ELA was that Sokka knew he had this class with Suki.

As he strolled down the hallway, Sokka noticed something a bit out of the ordinary. 

Zuko Jin. 

He was wearing some tight fitting, black, ripped skinny jeans, a slightly baggy, white tee, and a red plaid button-up tied at his waist. Ringers decorated his hands, and a chain hanging from his jeans. However, his fashion sense, while admittedly decent, wasn’t the odd part (it was his normal, edgy e-boy look).

No; the odd part was the absence of Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. Zuko… wasn't walking alongside his usual group. His terrifying sister and her posy weren’t  _ anywhere  _ in sight! 

Still, as odd as it was, Sokka shrugged it off. If he was Zuko, he would have ditched the group a long time ago. Azula was a hardcore  _ bitch _ . Everyone knew that. Though, it wasn't like Zuko was earning points for being any nicer. 

Sokka made a mental note to warn Aang against talking to either of the Jin siblings.

That issue officially, tabled, Sokka focused on just making it through the first 4 classes of the day until lunch- his absolute favorite hour of the day.

\---

Sokka had an arm slung around Suki's shoulders as they walked toward the cafeteria. Sokka was droning on about how boring his math teacher was and how she was just about ruining one of his favorite subjects. Suki simply had her arms crossed against her chest, laughing along occasionally to his dramatics.

Now, anyone from the outside might think that the two were a couple. However, they couldn't be  _ more  _ fucking wrong. Suki was a raging lesbian, and Sokka found this out the hard way when he tried to kiss her at their 7th grade dance and she nearly socked him in the face. It was an interesting night.

The two entered the cafeteria, spotting Katara and Haru having an animated conversation a few tables into the large room. Sokka couldn't help but roll his eyes at the way Haru laughed  _ way  _ too hard at something his sister said.

"How does Katara still not know that Haru has been crushing on her since the sixth grade?" Sokka asked as he and Suki entered the lunch line.

"Don't ask me." Suki shrugged her shoulders, glancing back to the two of them. "I still can't believe he asked her to the dance in 7th grade and she thought that he meant as friends. Poor guy's going to be stuck in the friend zone until he dies."

Sokka chuckled at that. "I really don't understand how Katara can be so oblivious."

"You  _ say  _ that,” Suki began to tease (and Sokka knew where this was headed, already groaning and placing his face into his hands. Suki giggled at him, knocking her shoulder into his before continuing), “yet you didn't know that Yue had a massive thing for you until she left you a love note the day that she moved out of town.” 

Sokka spoke, voice muffled as he frowned heavily into the palms of his hands. "She could have been my soulmate.

"If you met your soulmate in middle school that would have been hella sad,” Suki deadpanned, examining her nails casually.

Lifting his head to stick his tongue out at Suki in defiance, Sokka grabbed a tray and chicken sandwich from the line. He continued on, grabbing a few sides before entering his lunch pin and following Suki to what Katara and Haru seemed to have claimed as their table for the school year. The pair's conversation seemed to have died down by the time Suki and Sokka took their seats.

"Hey, guys," Haru greeted, taking a stab out of his pasta. Sokka offered a two finger salute in reply, Suki giving a quick "sup."

"So," Haru began, "it looks like the Jin twins are at it again."

Katara gave Haru a pointed look. "Haru, you shouldn't spread rumors."

"Come on, it's not rumors if I saw it myself!"

"Still, it's not nice to gossip. It's not your place to butt your nose in."

Sokka ignored his sister, and turned to look at Haru. "What do you mean? What happened?" Once again, Sokka ignored his sister and the glare she sent his way.

"Ok, basically," Haru spoke, waving his hands in the air as he always did when telling a story. It was a miracle that he hadn't poked anyone's eye out yet. "Apparently Zuko’s been ignoring his sister, Mai and Ty Lee. I have no clue why, but Azula was  _ pissed _ . She flipped his desk over when he told her to, and I quote, 'Fuck off.' Azula looked about ready to push Zuko out of the window.

"The teacher tried to send Azula to the office, but she glared at the dude and he shut up real quick. I guess not even the principal can touch Ozai Jin's stack of cash. It's kinda shitty how Azula can get away with practically anything. Remember when she tried to get Suki expelled last year?"

"Oh yeah, I remember," Suki muttered under breath.

Sokka merely shook his head, muttering a quiet "jeez" in response to Haru's story. "I saw him walking alone in the hall this morning. I honestly don't blame the guy for ditching Azula. She's fucking insane."

Scoffing, Katara interjected her own opinion, seemingly being ok to gossip now that she had something to say. "It's not like Zuko's any better. He was a total jerk when I had to tutor him in math."

"I don't know if he's all bad. We had to do a project together in 7th grade. I mean. He wasn't particularly nice, but he did his work and I did mine," Sokka said.

Katara rolled her eyes, muttering something into her chicken sandwich (most likely something about Sokka). Suki chuckled at the glare Sokka shot at his sister. Katara seemed to brighten however as she shouted across the cafeteria.

"Hey, Aang!" She leapt from her seat to meet him across the room.

Haru turned to whisper at Sokka. "Who's that?"

"That's Aang. We met him in the library this morning. Apparently he lives in a monastery with a bunch of monks."

"And he's got sick-ass tattoos," Suki added, receiving an eyebrow raise from Sokka. "What? He's in my second hour religious studies class."

Sokka glanced backwards to see Katara leading Aang to their table with her arm looped through one of his. The kid, once more extremely flustered, gripped a lunch box close to his chest with his other arm. Sokka turned back to Haru, wiggling his eyebrows. "Looks like you've got competition."

Suki joined Sokka in ooooo-ing the other teen, watching as his face reddened in embarrassment.

"Ok, ok, I think you've made your point!" he hissed through his teeth.

"What are we talking about?" Katara asked, sitting down next to Haru with Aang on her right (much to Haru's displeasure and Sokka and Suki's amusement).

Haru visibly scrambled for an answer. "Just talking about how psychotic the Jin family is!" That guy's acting definitely needed some work, but somehow Katara and Aang seemed to buy it. Sokka would truly never understand Katara's obliviousness, but it seemed that she had a contender to rival her- Aang.

"Who's the Jin family?" Aang asked Sokka, as Katara was currently chastising Haru for gossiping once more.

"They're the richest fucking people in this entire city," Suki supplied, mumbling almost incoherently over her food.

As that didn't quite answer the extent of Aang's question, Sokka decided to fully fill him in. "Basically, like Suki said, their family is hella rich. Zuko and Azula are twins. Azula sometimes goes batshit crazy and she has scary friends that know knife throwing and pressure point blocking."

"Not as cool as me knowing Karate though," Suki quickly interjected.

"Of course not," Sokka chuckled. He focused back on what he was saying. "Zuko's a pretty standoffish guy. He's not particularly nice, but at least he doesn't flip desks in the middle of class."

"Well there was that one time he told Jet that he would slice him into tiny pieces with Dao swords that he  _ apparently  _ has."

Haru crossed his arms over his chest childishly. "I thought gossiping was bad," Haru muttered.

"I'm just saying," Katara spoke, turning to Aang. "They're both kinda bad news. Maybe stay away from them."

"If we're being honest, Jet kinda deserved it. I heard he was sending dick pics to Zuko's sister," Suki spoke.

Aang chuckled nervously. "At least he sounds like a protective older brother?"

"If you insist on finding the bright side, sure," Katara replied.

The conversation shifted pretty soon after that, and somehow came to Aang showing everyone pictures of his cat (Momo) and giant Saint Bernard (Appa). They might have just been the cutest animals to ever exist. Well, Sokka wouldn't know. Gran Gran never let Sokka or Katara get pets. Stupid allergies.

"You have to let me pet those cute boys, Aang," Katara begged, pouting and providing her best puppy dog eyes. Sokka noticed the tips of Aang's cheeks tinge pink.

"It's not up for discussion, Aang. You will introduce us to the good boys," Suki said, her voice laced with the utmost seriousness, as if this was a matter of life and death.

Aang scratched the back of his neck. "I don't guys... the monastery is usually really crowded."

"Come one, Aang!" Sokka cried, albeit a bit (a lot) dramatically. "You can't just show us your adorable pets and then not let us meet them. That's like-"

"Illegal," Haru finished Sokka's sentence.

Aang, now cornered, relented, saying that it wasn't a long walk from the school to the monastery if they really did want to meet Appa and Momo. Which they all, obviously, wanted to do. So, the plan was set. Operation Meet Aang's Adorable Pets was a go.

\---

It was painfully embarrassing how much Sokka lost to Suki in basketball. The girl was a prodigy, and she'd only picked it up in fourth grade. Sokka had been shooting hoops with dad since forever, if memory was to serve. And yet, here Suki was, running circles around him. 

It wasn't even technically the first real day of P.E. Today, all they were doing were some pre-tests and playing around with basketballs or soccer balls if they wanted to. A few girls were using one of the soccer balls to play volleyball, and some other kids were playing basketball at the other nets circled around the gym. A majority of people, however, had decided to settle down and watch Suki beat Sokka's ass. As he had stated before: embarrassing.

However, it seemed that Sokka had finally gotten Suki into a pretty tough position. She couldn't move, and had the ball clasped between her two hands. If she tried to take a step in any direction, she'd be traveling, and Sokka had her blocked fairly well from making the goal she needed to win. Sokka had this in the bag. 

Or so he thought.

Suki smirked wickedly, and for a moment Sokka's confidence slipped. As if she was expecting this to happen, she turned her body as if to take the shot. Sokka recovered as quickly as he could, moving to block the shot when Suki jumped into the air (which was extremely high and Sokka still couldn't believe the mad hops this woman had), letting the ball slip out of her fingers and soar through the air. It went through the net with a satisfying swoosh.

Sokka groaned, digging his face into his hands. Sweat dripped off him in the gallons.

"Ha! Take that, Sokka!" Suki cheered, applause radiating from the small crowd that had formed.

"Am I ever going to win a game against you?" Sokka questioned, though it came out more as a pathetic whine.

Suki scoffed. "You haven't won against me in any of the times we've played against each other, so, I'm going to go with no."

And with that, Suki sauntered away, joining a few of her friends she knew from Kyoshi's Dojo. The crowd of watching people dispersed, leaving only one person left to grin at Sokka's pathetic playing: Zuko Jin.

"Have you been watching this whole time?"

"Yeah. That was pathetic."

Sokka frowned, a comeback on the tip of his tongue when Zuko resumed speaking.

"I mean, your basic form wasn't bad, but I can tell that you haven't had any real coaching. Suki wiped the floor with you."

"Yeah, I already know. I'm the one who was wiped on the floor." Sokka had meant for the statement to have more of a bite to it, but it had clearly fallen flat. Sokka felt like crawling in a hole and just dying. That sounded nice.

Zuko rolled his eyes, walking past Sokka to grab the basketball. Sokka pouted, brows drawn in confusion as he watched Zuko tuck the ball beneath his arm and smirk mischievously.

Suddenly, the other teen tossed the ball in a chest pass, and Sokka scrambled to narrily catch it, the force of the ball stinging his palms.

"I could give you some pointers, if you'd like," Zuko suggested. Sokka thought about the offer. Why Zuko Jin was offering to help Sokka improve his trash playing, Sokka didn’t know. Though, he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Sokka would beat Suki one day (even if it killed him).

However, Sokka had forgotten that Zuko was the star player on the Varsity Basketball team in Jr. High. The realization only occurred to him 15 minutes later when he was losing (somehow) even  _ more  _ humiliatingly to Zuko. This wasn't even technically a game! Zuko was just giving him pointers!

Huffing determinedly, a few strands of hair that had fallen from his wolf tail sticking to his forehead, Sokka pivoted on his foot to try to catch Zuko's pass. 

His shoe slipped on the gym floor. 

Sokka went tumbling down, the basketball landing harshly on his stomach. 

Ok. Now he really wanted to crawl into a hole. Sokka closed his eyes, hoping that maybe if he willed it to be, he would just die there on the gym floor. Unfortunately (maybe fortunately) he didn't.

"Get up," Zuko stated.

Sokka opened his eyes, his breath hitching in his throat. Zuko stood above him, his shaggy, ink black hair falling around his face, framing his angled jawline. Sweat beaded down his face, and Sokka cleared his throat.

Finally finding his voice, Sokka replied, "No."

Zuko stared back, visibly unamused. For a moment Sokka thought that Zuko would simply leave Sokka to sulk. Unfortunately (maybe fortunately) he didn't. Zuko grasped Sokka's hand, forcefully pulling him up onto his feet.

"Please don't keep torturing me," Sokka muttered.

Smirking, Zuko replied, "Unfortunately, you'll have to wait to be tortured again tomorrow."

Just as the words left his mouth, the couch blew her whistle, signally the end of the hour. And also, the end of the school day. Sokka watched as Zuko walked away. 

Despite the absolute hell that practicing with Zuko was, it was kinda… fun. Maybe… maybe it was Azula that tainted Zuko’s reputation. The actions of his sister that made people avoid Zuko like the plague. Because, all in all, the guy wasn’t that bad.

\---

Boy did Zuko wish that murder was legal because everyone just seemed to be getting on his nerves today.

First, Azula thought that it would be a fun idea to go full on psycho and flip his desk over in the middle of class so that was fun.

Second, Ty Lee and Mai decided to pest Zuko during the walk to lunch as to why he was ignoring them. When they brought up that they'd heard that Azula had made a scene earlier their excuse was "That's just Azula. Forgive and forget, now let's go eat lunch together" and Zuko apparently thought the best thing to do was say "Maybe it's not just Azula I'm trying to ignore." Zuko may have felt a little bad when he saw Ty Lee's hurt expression, but he wouldn't admit that.

Third, Zuko saw Azula on the hunt for him inside the cafeteria so he decided on eating lunch alone in the bathroom like a loser. 

Zuko could only hope that Azula would get the hint eventually.

Fourth, Jet was being an ass during P.E. and he was very tempted to throw a basketball at his face.

The only good part of the day was seeing Sokka get his ass kicked by Suki. It was highly amusing. He also thoroughly enjoyed watching Sokka struggle when trying to keep up with him. Zuko definitely wasn't enjoying himself because Sokka was actually a pretty cool guy and his commentary was funny. Nah. It was just fun to watch him suffer. Totally.

However, the school day was finally over and Zuko didn't have to worry about possibly murdering anybody else today. Well, customer service was always awful, but Iroh usually let him just stay in the kitchen and not talk to customers. Zuko was willing to do whatever, though, as long as he could spend some time with Iroh and stay away from home.

I mean, yeah, eventually Zuko would have to go home, but for now? For now Zuko walked into the Jasmine dragon, the smell of tea and pastries immediate upon his entry. Iroh stood behind the counter, and gave Zuko a cheery smile upon hearing the bell chime above the door.

"Hello, Nephew!" he called.

"Hi, Uncle," Zuko replied, a small but genuine smile dancing on his lips as he grabbed his apron from the rack behind the counter. Yeah. This was pretty nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated!!


	3. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Aang has a nightmare that rattles him for the entire day and Katara is determined to find out what's wrong. Zuko hates that he may have found a friend, and so does Azula.

The night was young, the moon barely hitting it's apex in the midnight sky. Moonlight bounced off the clouds that littered the sky, and stars twinkled brightly in this part of the country. The car bounced on the uneven road, the only thing keeping Aang awake as the few streetlamps passed in blurs.

Within the front seats Aang could barely hear his parents as they discussed the nearest stop on the way back into town. They were running low on gas and a trip was mandatory before getting home. Aang registered this, but only slightly as sleep still pulled at the back of his mind and fogged his perception.

A gas station soon came into sight, and the large SUV pulled off of the road and into the parking lot. Upon the car's stop, Appa became curious and glanced out of the car windows before licking Aang's face as if to alert the boy of their stop. Aang giggled, glad that Monk Gyatso allowed Appa to come to the Monastery when they visited in Ba Sing Se.

Aang's mother opened his door, and he allowed her to pull him out of the SUV to use the bathroom. Appa whined in the car, and a sinking feeling filled Aang's stomach. For a moment he was sure he might vomit. Aang swiftly turned around, but he wasn't in the gas station parking lot anymore.

A man stood with a gun in his hands at the Omashu Monastery. He turned the gun frantically from person to person, but never at Aang. No. Aang was watching, hiding behind a pillar with one of the monks hand on his mouth, and the other arm keeping him from running to his parents who sat bleeding on the floor.

No, no, no, no, no. NO. This wasn't happening. Aang thrashed in the monks arms. This was two years ago! How could this be happening again? Aang closed his eyes, willing himself anywhere but there. Anywhere but watching as his parents bled out in front of him.  _ ANYWHERE  _ else.

As if by magic, when Aang opened his eyes, he sat on his bed in Ba Sing Se. It was the middle of the night, and Appa wasn't anywhere to be found. The monastery was quiet. Almost too quiet. Nothing good happened when it was too quiet. Not even crickets or cicadas seemed to be chirping. The air was laced with tension, and although the building was freezing cold, sweat beaded down Aang's forehead.

Something wasn't right.

Aang tiptoed down the stairs, staying light on his feet. He didn't want to make a sound. When Aang reached the bottom floor, a knock sounded at the entrance. It was as if someone was waiting for Aang. Readying himself, Aang reached for the front door. He took a deep breath. Everything would be ok. It had to be.

When Aang opened the door, a cold breeze stung his body, even through his cozy sweatpants. However, it wasn't the cold night air that caused Aang's entire body to freeze. No. Dead bodies littered the front lawn. Monk Gyatso, Monk Yangchen... Momo and Appa lay lifeless as well. His new friends- Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Haru's dead bodies could also be spotted, horrified expressions glued to their faces and their blood painting the newly cut grass.

He had brought this upon them. He led the man here, and now everyone he loved had paid the price. Aang looked up into the shadowed face of the man at the door. He wore a crooked grin.

"Why?" was the only thing Aang could muster up between his choked sobs.

The man only laughed as he brought the barrel of the gun to rest upon Aang's forehead.

\---

Aang awoke with a start, gasping for breath. Appa looked to him with concern, and Momo let out a confused growl. Aang felt like his heart was in his throat. Blood rushed through his ears and his breath came out in choked cries of anguish.

He couldn't breath.

He was going to die, he was going to die, he was going to-

Aang brought a hand up to his face. It was wet. Crying? How long had he been crying? Oh god he couldn't breath. He could barely register Appa's distressed whines over the pounding of his heart beat.

Bile rose in Aang's throat, burning and tasting of blood. Or maybe the blood was from how hard Aang had been biting his tongue. It really didn't matter.

Aang rushed to the bathroom, vomiting all the contents from his stomach. He shuddered, body hunched over the toilet. At some point Appa had joined him, resting his head on Aang's lap as Aang's forehead lay pressed against the toilet seat. Not the most hygienic, but he couldn't bring himself to move from that spot.

The monastery was still dark, not a trace of sunlight in the sky. Morning was yet to come for what was likely to be a few more hours, but Aang was too scared of what dreams might await him if he went back to sleep.

Aang stayed on the bathroom floor, silent sobs racking his body until he was vaguely aware of his alarm ringing in his room. A few traces of sunlight danced in the bathroom window, shining through the shear curtains. Birds chirped at the beginning of a new day. They sounded much too happy for Aang's liking.

With a quick splash of water to his face, rinsing out his mouth, and flushing the toilet, Aang returned to his room to silence the alarm. Aang glanced to the mirror that hung on the wall, taking notice of the bags that had formed under his eyes. He supposed he spent more hours than he'd realized on that bathroom floor. Oh well.

Momo had taken a seat on the bedroom windowsill since Aang's absence. Appa stayed close to Aang's legs, and he gave him a few scratches behind the ear. Aang gave his best smile to the dog, though he was sure it looked more like a grimace.

"As long as I've got you, buddy, I can make it through anything," Aang supplied. Appa wagged his tail as if to say  _ ‘nothing will happen as long as I'm here to protect you.’ _

Aang chuckled a little, moving to get prepared for the day. He was determined to push the bad dream to the furthest corner of his mind, but its memory simply kept slipping its way back to the forefront.

\---

Katara wasn't exactly sure what was going on with Aang, but he was terrible at lying about whatever it was. When Aang had joined Katara and Sokka in the library that morning with undeniably large bags under his eyes, the twins had shared a look; when Sokka had questioned him as to whether he was ok, Aang had dismissed it entirely.

However, Katara wasn't about to let the matter go. Aang had been uncharacteristically quiet (though she had only known the guy for a few days, he had proved that he was pretty cherry and optimistic) and it was worrying.

"Aang, are you sure you're alright? You don't look like you slept much," Katara questioned. She looked sincerely into Aang's eyes. They kept eye contact for a few moments before Aang ultimately looked away, sighing slightly. Katara had thought that she'd gotten to him when Aang turned again, plastering an obviously fake smile on his face.

"I'm fine, Katara. Appa kept me up a bit last night, but it's fine." Katara wanted to keep talking to push further for the truth, but she knew that she couldn't make Aang talk if he didn't want to. So, they spent the rest of the morning before first period in silence, tension hanging in the air.

Katara and Sokka would occasionally glance at each other, looking back to Aang (who was slumped down in his chair, staring at something on his phone with a forlorn look that made Katara want to offer the boy a hug). The bell rang, but before Aang could escape into the sea of students, Katara grabbed onto his wrist.

She gave him a tight hug, and Katara could feel Aang tense, then relax- even if it was only the slightest bit. Katara wouldn't let Aang leave the library until she made sure that he knew that she would always be willing to listen. He had offered her a small grin and, in a voice that sounded much too small for the usually happy guy, said, "Ok, Katara." Katara still wasn't satisfied as she watched him disappear in the halls.

The first hours of school droned on boringly. Katara already had an essay due in ELA and a math quiz the next day. It was completely unfair. 

Haru was being an absolute idiot and sticking pencils in his mouth to look like a walrus during marketing class, and Katara couldn't help but laugh.

However, during fourth hour computer applications, Katara looked out of the door window and noticed as some blue tattoos flew down the hallway. 

It was Aang. 

And something was definitely wrong. 

She should have kept pushing in the library.

Katara walked to the front of the classroom and asked the teacher if she could go to the restroom. With a bit of coaxing and pleading smiles, the teacher relented and gave her the bathroom pass. Haha, score!

Seeing as the hour was almost over, Katara grabbed her backpack and powered down her computer. She flew out of the classroom, and although it hadn't taken her long to obtain the pass, Aang was nowhere in sight.

Katara stalked down a few of the halls, still not spotting the boy. Getting frustrated, Katara was worried she may not find him when she heard a sniffle come from underneath the stairs to the second floor. Upon further inspection, Katara's suspicion was confirmed. Sat under the stairs, was Aang.

"Aang?" Katara whispered, crouching down in front of the tattoo clad boy. She let her backpack slip off of her shoulders as she studied Aang. He hadn't appeared to have heard her, and he was hugging his knees close to his chest, eyes closed tight.

"Aang, are you alright?" When Aang remained silent once more, Katara took it upon herself to grab Aang's hands, intertwining their fingers.

Jerking backwards violently, Aang looked up into Katara's eyes. Tear tracks stained his cheeks and he looked dazed. Once he had recognized Katara, however, he relaxed ever so slightly. Though, he still looked unsure as to whether to trust Katara at the moment.

Katara offered her best smile, squeezing Aang's hands to show that she wasn't going to hurt him. That she was there and everything was going to be ok.

"Can I sit next to you?"

Aang's reply was a nod of the head so small that if Katara had blinked she was sure to miss it. Katara took a seat in the spot next Aang, still holding one of his hands while his other arm wrapped back around his shoulders.

After a few moments of silence, Katara spoke once more. "Would you like to talk about it?" Aang shook his head, wiping a few tears from his eyes. "Would you like me to just sit here?" Aang was still for a few minutes. Then, he nodded. But the nod was slow, as if he wasn't sure if that was the right answer.

Nonetheless, Katara guided him so that his head rested against her chest, squeezing his shoulder in a way she hoped was comforting. She cradled him in her arms as if he was a fragile piece of glass. The entire world seemed to still as a feeling of calm fell upon the two. Katara hoped that Aang felt as peaceful as she did.

Aang shivered every few minutes, and Katara threw her thin jacket over the two of them, rubbing circles with her thumb over Aang's palm. And the two may have stayed that way until the end of lunch. And Sokka may have been texting Katara's phone like crazy. However, she found that she hadn't really cared all that much. This was where Katara needed to be, so that was where she stayed.

\---

It didn't seem particularly fair that in the second week of school Zuko already had a project in History class. It wasn't that Zuko was even mad about the project itself. It wasn't all that difficult. No. It was who he was stuck doing it with.

Sokka Atka.

The only time that the two ever really talked was during P.E., and yeah, Zuko had been fairly aware that the two shared History class together, but it wasn't like he made an effort to talk to Sokka. Hell, he didn't make an effort to talk to anyone, really.

It could have been worse, though. Zuko knew that Sokka was a pretty good student and he could pull his own weight in a project. Plus... Zuko could have been partnered with Azula. He could practically feel her stare as Sokka lugged his bag to sit next to Zuko for the remainder of class. He stole a glance behind him where Azula sat next to Chan. Her glare seemed as if it could kill, and Zuko had to repress a shudder.

Was it normal to be scared of your younger twin sister? Probably not, but Zuko assumed that Azula was an exception.

Zuko refocused when Sokka claimed the empty seat next to him.

Sokka grinned widely, offering a cheery "hey!" and in turn causing Zuko to roll his eyes. This guy just never seemed to not smile. Or sound unhappy. Was he even human?

"Yeah, hi," Zuko deadpanned, turning to his school sanctioned device. "I'll take the even slides, and you can take the odd."

Zuko saw Sokka nod his head out of his peripheral vision, though it was clear that he wanted to say more. Sighing, Zuko turned to look at Sokka.

"What?"

"Oh well, um... you were wanting to do a google slideshow? I was kind of hoping we could do a poster or something..." Sokka smiled almost sheepishly, and Zuko had to admit it was a little cute. Not much. But a little. Though, it was more annoying than cute.

"Ok, but slides are easier."

"But posters are more fun!"

"Posters require us to meet up to work on it together."

"So?"

"So, slides."

"Poster."

"Slides."

"Poster!"

Zuko was near his boiling point when he noticed the cheeky smirk that danced on Sokka's lips. He was actually having fun rattling Zuko. The bitch. So, maybe to stop the fighting and actually work, or maybe just because Sokka wanted to do it and Zuko was a horrible people pleaser, Zuko agreed to the poster. 

"Haha, I win!" Sokka cheered, doing a small dance in his seat.

"This wasn't even a competition."

To that, Sokka just rolled his eyes. "As long as you're kicking my ass in basketball I have to win at something." Zuko bit his lower lip to keep from smiling, but a small chuckle snuck its way past. Sokka only seemed to smile wider at getting Zuko to laugh.

The two broke up the work evenly, getting to work on researching the background information when Sokka dropped a bomb.

"What do you mean you can't draw," Zuko seethed, teeth pressed tightly together. "Part of the requirements for the poster is to have  _ drawings _ ."

Sokka laughed nervously. "Well, um. You see..." Zuko waited to hear Sokka's excuse when the teen just simply pointed to Zuko's notebook. "I noticed that you were pretty good at drawing and I, uh, actually took a calligraphy thing with my sister in middle school so I thought I'd do the writing."

Zuko quickly shut his notebook (where he had apparently been absentmindedly doodling when taking notes). The main thing he'd been drawing? Ducklings.

"So. You like ducks?" Sokka questioned.

Pink dusted Zuko's face as he turned back to his device screen. "They were my mom's favorite animal, so yeah. I guess." When Sokka remained quiet, Zuko turned back to look at him. His awkward smile had dropped, and he looked oddly sincere. Zuko then realized he had said the word 'were,' which must have raised some red flags.

"My mom's favorite animal was penguins. And she loved snow. We'd always go visit her sister in Canada during Christmas break since it snows so much there. Unlike here." Sokka had a small smile on his face when he was talking about his mom. It disappeared though as he continued to speak. "We don't go to Canada much anymore since she died."

Sokka's voice was near a whisper, and Zuko really wasn't sure what to say. He wasn't really that great with emotions. Actions speak louder than words, however, so Zuko rested a hand atop of Sokka's for a few minutes, looking back to his device screen.

"I bet you miss her a lot," Zuko stated, not really knowing why.

"I guess... sometimes when I think about my mom though, all I can think about is my sister. Katara put all this weight on her shoulders to take Mom's place. Sometimes I don't think she ever even gave herself time to grieve. I don't know. It's stupid. I'm stupid."

"It's not stupid," Zuko stated, looking into Sokka's eyes. They were an icy blue that seemed to flow as soothingly as an ocean. "Your feelings are valid." Zuko had wanted to say more, but he couldn't seem to find the right words. However, Sokka simply nodded, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. Zuko then realized that he still had a hand resting on Sokka's so (rather awkwardly) he pulled it away, focusing back on the assignment.

Zuko wasn't really sure why, but he felt oddly peaceful after the conversation. Somehow, in only the two weeks Zuko had actually spoken to Sokka, he felt this weird connection. Maybe they weren't quite friends, and maybe Zuko wasn't sure if he even wanted friends, but he knew that maybe Sokka wasn't just all jokes and fake confidence.

Fuck. Zuko had gone into highschool ready to just sail through it alone, but now he might have just gone and made things complicated. That was so typical of him. Stupid Zuko and his secret (though not surprising) want for human connection.

The rest of the period went by in a flash, and the one after that, and when P.E. rolled around, Zuko found himself a bit excited. It totally wasn't because he would see Sokka again though. Nah.

That day, they all went outside to run a few laps. And by a few, the coaches apparently meant eight, because that's a totally normal amount of laps to force 14-15 year olds to run in the intense summer heat. Fun.

Sokka had been tagging along on the run with Zuko, not that he minded. It was kinda hilarious every time Sokka complained that it wasn't fair that they had to run all these laps while the coaches could just sit back and laugh at them.

"How are you not dying, Zuko?" Sokka eventually asked.

"Did you forget that I play basketball?" Sokka grumbled at that, but kept chugging along. "Plus, my dad made me take fencing and sword fighting lessons." Zuko chuckled at the way Sokka's mouth hung agape at his statement.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Basically, I know how to wield swords, and a two mile run is nothing compared to sparing with Piandao." Zuko shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, seemingly only adding to Sokka's bewilderment. It was very amusing.

Zuko couldn’t help but laugh when Sokka muttered under his breath, “The coolest thing I can do is throw a boomerang…”

After they had both completed their laps, Sokka (very dramatically) collapsed into the grass. Zuko rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to him. Using his arms to prop him up from behind, Zuko stretched his legs out in front of him, watching as many other students continued with their laps. Sokka was laying fully on his back when he suddenly shot up into a sitting position.

Zuko looked curiously at Sokka while he appeared to be debating something in his mind. Finally, he seemed to have decided on what to say.

"I never got your phone number."

Zuko wrinkled his nose. "What do you need my phone number for?"

"Because we're kinda partners on a project together." Sokka gave a crooked smile, looking at Zuko as if to say,  _ ‘really, did you already forget?’ _

"Right. That," Zuko replied awkwardly, grabbing Sokka's phone to place his number in. Soon enough, everyone had finished with their laps, and it was time to head inside and change out of their gym clothing. The end of the school day was approaching quickly as they walked back into the building.

The bell rang, and Zuko and Sokka walked out of the locker room together, heading toward the school exit. Once they had exited the building, Zuko noticed Azula waiting for him, Mai and Ty Lee only a few feet away.

Sokka inhaled sharply. "Right, good luck with that, buddy." With a pat on the shoulder, Sokka walked away, leaving Zuko to deal with Azula on his own. Which, honestly, was probably a safer option in the long run.

Zuko sighed, making the quick trip to where Azula stood. She could have definitely looked happier. Though, so could have Zuko.

"Aw, Zuzu, did you finally find yourself a boyfriend?" she teased, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes hardened, searching his face intently.

"Sokka Atka is in no way my boyfriend. He's not even my friend," Zuko replied, walking past Azula. He only paused because of Azula's next words.

"You two seemed awfully chummy during History." Zuko pivoted quickly on his heel. Azula smirked knowingly. Zuko let her get to him.

He seethed, "What do you care?"

Azula laughed at that. "Oh it's not me who cares, Zuzu. Do you think daddy-dearest would approve of your new friend? It's not like he has any knowledgeable social standing."

"Father doesn't get to dictate who my friends are." Zuko glared at his sister, but she only kept smiling. He should have just left. Talking with Azula wasn't worth it. If he kept letting her get to him, he just might go crazy.

"I thought you said he wasn't your friend."

"He's not."

"Hmm. Whatever you say, Zuzu." Azula began to walk past him, only stopping to whisper into his ear. "I just hope you remember who your real friends are before you royally screw up." Venom dripped with every word. Zuko remained tense as Azula walked away.

Maybe Zuko didn't know who his real friends were, or if he even had any (Mai and Ty Lee weren't terrible people, but they'd never be any better as long as they let Azula boss them around). The only clear thing was that Azula would never be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive criticism and comments are encouraged and appreciated!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Back when I first entered the fandom world, I started on Wattpad (as many others have done). However, as my writing and love for writing grew, I outgrew that platform; I found AO3 and all of its lovely creators and the constructive criticism and love that stems from this website and authors. This is a work I began on Wattpad that I am now moving to AO3 to reach a different audience and find more security in posting my works. I hope you enjoy reading as I improve and move this story to AO3! Thank you for taking the time to read :))


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